BLOG: A season to remember for David Morris

The last event of the season proved I’ve earned my place amongst the top competitors in the World. I had qualified for my first World Championship finals in Voss, Norway.

Using the full Olympic format for the first time in the season proved to be a much more strategic game with two qualifying rounds to get into the top twelve.

My coaches had a mild heart attack after I crashed my first jump bringing my chances down to the wire. I had to make the last jump count against an impressive field of athletes. My consistency from the season continued as I qualified into the top twelve then top eight along with the rest of the Aussie team.

I was left with two jumps to choose from to attempt to qualify for the top four super final. As a practice for the Sochi Olympics I chose my hardest jump. I had not trained it that week but my consistency continued and I landed it well. I had put myself into a good position to make the final round.

Unfortunately the other competitors were jumping at an incredible standard. They put down some impressive results to bump me down to fifth where my competition and season would end.

A first and third place at World Cup events, second overall for the season and a top five result at World Championships leaves my coaches and I extremely happy at the end of the season. We etched new records in the history books and pioneered the way forward for Men’s aerials in Australia.

I enter the off season now to recover and strengthen up for next season leading into what I plan to be a big end to this four year build up for the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

Australia has always been competitive in the international mix of Short Track Speed Skating, and the 2016/17 Aussie short trackers may be small in collective numbers, but the tight-knit group is big on passion and commitment.

The AOC is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, committed to the development of youth and sport. It is our responsibility to select, send and fund Australian Teams to the Olympic Games.

This is achieved by the support of our sponsors, contributions from the Australian Olympic Foundation (AOF), fundraising at corporate events and the backing of State and Territory Governments who donate to our Olympic Team Appeal.

The Australian Olympic Committee thanks all of our partners for their generous support of the Olympic athletes.